Saleka Shyamalan in writing Trap Music alongside father M. Night

Let’s go Shyamalan he took notes Taylor Swift pop culture influence when creating her character, Lady Raven, and all of her original music with her father M. Night Shyamlan’s new movie, It’s a trap.

“I think Taylor Swift, in terms of her impact on society, has been an interesting thing,” Saleka, 28, said to herself. Us Weekly while discussing the upcoming psychological thriller. “I think in Lady Raven’s world, she’s not as big as Taylor Swift, but I think the idea of ​​how her fans feel connected to her and that going to her concert is such a big moment in their lives and how they feel in a room surrounded by other girls who love her songs.”

He continued, “I think that idea was really powerful and the effects that a singer, a singer, can have on children, especially and little girls, I think it’s a good thing. And Taylor Swift is a great example of that. “

Saleka plays the role of Lady Raven It’s a trapa pop star performs at a massive concert used to capture a notorious killer known as The Butcher (Josh Hartnett), who took his daughter to see the show.

This film was written and directed by Saleka’s father, M. Night, with Saleka composing, performing and producing all original music featuring special guests. Kid Cudi, Russagain Arae. The track consists of 14 original songs, each created specifically to fit the script and narrative of the film by combining Saleka’s classical piano training with his unique dark-pop-R&B production and tone.

When it comes to composing Lady Raven’s discography, Saleka – who studied music composition and composition at Brown University – said she drew from both her own life and her character’s in hopes of making the music a fusion of the real and imagined.

“It’s very personal and I wanted to make an album that I felt connected to and that I loved, so I tried to find the connective tissue between me and Lady Raven,” he explained. “[I] again [wanted to pull from] what’s going on in the movie for each song and I get inspiration from that but make it into lyrics that I would like to sing and be happy with, hopefully I’ll sing these songs for the rest of my life and feel connected to them.”

Saleka also turned to Hartnett’s character – aka Cooper aka The Butcher – to let the music accompany his story and accompany his “mind” as he begins to spiral out of control.

“I wrote the script almost like how a composer would write a film score,” he explained, noting that if a song doesn’t fit the script it doesn’t make it into the film. “So the script was like a structure and a defining feature of what it was supposed to be, and then I wrote it.”

As M. Night — well known Sixth Sense, Signs, Village and more – and Saleka has always shared an appreciation for music-driven films, the two formed the concept of Trap during kitchen table conversations. When the script was finished, Saleka used it as a source to give an idea for the music.

Navigating the actions of a serial killer in the process of songs and finger slides is not easy, but beyond the horrors of Trap is a story about the love between fathers and daughters. It was those beats – and his relationship with his father – that Saleka focused on when composing the film’s soundtrack from scratch.

“I think the core of this movie is the feeling of, ‘Would you still love your father if he was a murderer?’ And I think, like this last kind of unconditional love between parent and child,” he said Us.

Saleka added that her family is equally united: “Me and my parents and siblings are very close, especially. [me and] my father; he is our rock,” he said. “My sister and I are best friends, so we have that kind of family love that is at the core of everything that keeps us strong and sane when everything is going crazy. [us].”

After all, Saleka doesn’t just sing It’s a trap – and made his acting debut. That meant working with Hartnett, whom Saleka called an “amazing” actor and “a wonderful person.”

“He’s just humble. It’s really nice to see, and, like my father, he’s a master at his job,” he said. “Just watching [him] it’s a wonderful thing. To prove that and to see how you combine the character with all the work that goes into it and what you bring to the page you can’t even imagine. It was truly magical.”

Working with Hartnett boosted Saleka’s performance. The multi-hyphenate will watch Hartnett’s “free and spontaneous energy” during practice to “get out [her] head” and character.

“Sometimes if [Josh] he wasn’t on camera, he would help me a lot to get into your feeling by being incredibly dark,” recalls Saleka. “Sometimes if [it isn’t an actor’s coverage]they don’t exist [performing] full, but he was coming out to me fully so that I could feel its feelings. It’s a really incredible and dedicated thing to do.”

While stepping into Lady Raven’s shoes – with Hartnett and her father as her directors – was an experience she will never forget, writing and performing music remains Saleka’s first love. It’s something he’s looking forward to downloading once It’s a trap will hit theaters on Friday, August 2, as he prepares for various upcoming projects. But he also doesn’t rule out this acting thing.

“As soon as the movie comes out, I will go back home and write new songs and work on the album, I hope I would like to continue writing for film and television,” he said. Us. “I think that’s my passion. And even if that means I’m in [the movie] even if I’m writing background music, I’d like to do all those things.”

You are a trap will hit theaters on Friday, August 2.

Lady Raven (Original Music From The Motion Picture Trap) it also comes out tomorrow.